McCallum noted that this is the highest number of projected immigrant admissions put forth by the Government of Canada in modern times.
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The number of economic migrants, which represents traditionally the largest group, is expected to fall by 10% this year to a bit more than 160,000.
The government of Canada announced an ambitious plan for 2016 immigration levels on Tuesday, aimed at reuniting more families.
The government’s immigration program is broken into three categories: economic, family, and humanitarian.
A maximum of 162,400 will be accepted, down about 24,000 people from last year’s high target, though it’s in line with the years before that.
The head of the sponsorship agreement holders association, which oversees the privately sponsored refugees program, said the overall increase in refugee intake is good news. While the Liberals have now hit their goal of bringing 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of February, they aren’t finished. That’s far more than the normal annual intake of government assisted refugees so a question remains as to whether refugees from other parts of the world will also continue to be resettled and how many.
Canada aims to take in up to 57,000 refugees this year, double the number from 2015, immigration minister John McCallum said Tuesday. The release of the levels plan is usually accompanied by a report on immigration in the previous year.
Syrian refugees are driving a shift in Canada’s immigration plan for 2016 as the Liberal government seeks to admit record numbers of new permanent residents while backing away from a previous focus on skilled labour.
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The economic class includes the principal applicants as well as their spouses, partners, and dependants through programs like the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.
